Keller and I still take a walk though the park every morning. If it's not too hot, we go down for a mid-day swing (see pics below). On occasion, Mike will get out of work in time for us to have dinner on a blanket under a tree while we watch a pick-up game of cricket and try to keep Keller from swallowing too many bugs or handfuls of grass. These are the memories I will cherish most!
Speaking of being a little too ambitious... Keller and I signed up for a mobile-babies group at Gymbaroo. About half way through our first class, one of the instructors asked me if Keller could crawl. I told her he could "scoot." She did not understand. She asked how old he was. I told her (almost) 7 months, at which point she became emphatic about him being in the non-mobile, BabyRoo class. Problem is, I don't want him in the non-mobile class. I want him in the big kid class... surrounded by children who are stronger, faster and more developed. That's how we think in America, right? Well, not here. Australians may be extremely competitive on the athletic field, but off the field they operate on this notion of "same." They have a saying called the Tall Poppy Syndrome, which boils down to if you stand out, you're likely to lose your head. Apparently this poppy-principle holds true from BabyRoo all the way up to the highest levels of business. Yik! This will take some getting used to. For better and worse, blending in has never really been our thing. (P.S. Keller fell asleep on the bike ride over to class Friday. Thought the pic below was cute.)
We wrapped up our 3rd week with a celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year. We are officially in the Year of the Snake. I cannot imagine what things must have been like in China because in Melbourne, Australia it was nuts. There were throngs of people parading down every street in Chinatown. The roads (or what you could see of them) were covered in red paper. My first deduction upon seeing all of the paper was fireworks, but there was so much of it I truly did not think it was possible. And then we heard it... what sounded like a building falling down, turned firecracker extravaganza. Shop owners had 30+ foot strands hanging right outside their stores (see pic below). As the dragon dancers paraded by, they would light the strands and bring down the block. I wish we could have stayed longer but Mike and I were both worried about doing irreparable damage to Keller's ears.
A few things I have learned/experienced:
- I continue to be shocked by the cost of things here. A couple of examples:
- Dry cleaning ONE shirt - $7.50 (Australian Dollars)
- A rotisserie chicken - $11.00 (Australian Dollars)
- ONE day of daycare - $119.00 (Australian Dollars)
- Box of off-brand Cheerios - $7.89 (Australian Dollars)
- Took Keller to the doctor because I thought he might have an ear infection. All is well, but the visit was quite interesting. A lady in a jean skirt (and open toed shoes) came and got us out of the waiting room. I thought she must have been a nurse of sorts, but she ended up being the doctor. (No white coats to distinguish you here... poppy principle, remember!) When we got into the exam room there was a desk, a book case, a couple of chairs and a traditional patient's table. There was even a half-finished latte on the doctor's desk! She was incredibly nice and seemed highly qualified. I just could not get over how different it was. Australians are wonderfully chill! It's no wonder everyone thinks Americans are uptight.
- I challenge you to find a can of black beans on this continent. It's like excavating a rare gem. The only place we've been successful so far is online from a store called USA Foods about 30 minutes from downtown Melbourne.
And a quick Keller update:
- Our little man turned 7 months on Sunday. Hard to believe!!!!
